Israel-Hamas war live updates: U.S. calls for ‘humanitarian pause’ in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as fuel and other supplies run dangerously low

Oxfam released a statement saying “just 2 percent of usual food has been delivered to Gaza” since the siege was imposed.

“ The international agency analyzed UN data and found that just 2 percent of food that would have been delivered has entered Gaza since the total siege – which tightened the existing blockade – was imposed on 9 October,” Oxfam said.

The agency renewed its call for food, water, fuel and other essentials to be allowed to enter.   

“The situation is nothing short of horrific – where is humanity?” Oxfam spokesperson Sally Abi Khalil said in a statement. “Millions of civilians are being collectively punished in full view of the world, there can be no justification for using starvation as a weapon of war. World leaders cannot continue to sit back and watch, they have an obligation to act and to act now. ”

Oxfam estimates a staggering 2.2 million people are now in urgent need of food.

— Riya Bhattacharjee

The Biden administration is now backing the idea of a “pause” in Israel’s military operations against Hamas in order to allow more aid to get into Gaza as the international community sounds the alarm on a growing humanitarian crisis in the region, NBC News reported.

Biden stressed the need for more aid into Gaza at a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, saying that Israel needed to do “everything in its power to protect innocent civilians.”

A U.S. official told NBC News the shift in the administration’s language was deliberate.

The official also said that the Israelis are “hearing” the call for a humanitarian pause and it is “actively being discussed.”

Read the full story on NBC News.

— Riya Bhattacharjee

Some White House aides have worried that President Joe Biden’s response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has not shown enough empathy for Palestinian civilians as well as the U.S. Muslim community, sources told NBC News.

Administration officials have been seeking out Muslim officials and advocates to talk about issues affecting their communities and help the White House address those matters, NBC reported.

Biden’s comments and actions will continue to be scrutinized as the death toll rises in Gaza.

Read the full story here.

— Amanda Macias

A senior Treasury official met with counterparts in Qatar to discuss ways to cut Hamas’ funding stream.

“The U.S. is prepared to take unilateral action, but when we are strategically aligned with partners in this region, we have a great chance for success at a greater speed with more efficiency,” said Brian Nelson, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

Nelson hinted that the department will extend the offer to other countries in the Middle East and said he spoke with officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Prompted by the Hamas attacks, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control last week sanctioned 10 institutions that fund Hamas from Gaza, the West Bank, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar.

The terrorist group is funded in part through charitable organizations — including Turkey’s IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation — taxes on Gazan-made goods and imports and provisions from Iran.

— Chelsey Cox

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power spoke to representatives of the U.N.’s Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to discuss “unhindered humanitarian access” for civilians in Gaza.

Power also called “for the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law” according to a USAID statement.

“Administrator Power reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to support those impacted by the ongoing conflict,” the statement added.

— Amanda Macias

The State Department said Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ambassador Barbara Leaf is on her way to meet regional partners to discuss ways to mitigate the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading across additional borders.

“She will discuss humanitarian solutions to protect civilians while reiterating U.S. support for a region that advances the aspirations of all its people,” the State Department wrote in a statement.

The State Department said that Leaf will begin in the United Arab Emirates before traveling to Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and then Israel. The State Department said that Leaf may make additional stops but declined to elaborate.

Leaf’s trip comes on the heels of high-level visits made by President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Israel and a multi-country tour by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

— Amanda Macias

The Pentagon is working to provide Israel with additional Iron Dome support, a Defense official confirmed to NBC News.

“As we’ve said previously, the U.S. will be flowing additional Iron Dome support to Israel,” added the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “As a result, the Department of Defense is currently engaged in planning to support the provision of U.S. Iron Dome batteries to Israel,” the official added.

Read more about the Iron Dome here.

— Amanda Macias

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed the ongoing war with President Joe Biden during their bilateral meeting.

“Last night and again today we spoke about the situation in Israel and Gaza. Australia unequivocally condemns the terrorism of Hamas. We grieve for the loss of every innocent life, whether they be Israeli or Palestinian. In times of crisis, respectful international humanitarian law is paramount,” Albanese said during a press conference alongside Biden at the White House.

Albanese said the two also discussed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Biden welcomed the announcement of additional military assistance for Ukraine.

Albanese also announced that Australia will give an additional $15 million in humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, adding to the $10 million it has already committed.

— Amanda Macias

President Joe Biden said his administration is working with regional partners to secure the release of all the hostages being held by Hamas.

“We’re also working around the clock together with our partners in the region to secure the release of hostages,” Biden told reporters at the White House.

Biden said the U.S. is also working on the safe passage of foreign nationals who are trapped in Gaza.

“Not just Americans but Australians and a whole range of people are trapped in Gaza,” Biden said, alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

— Amanda Macias

President Joe Biden expressed concern about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians as tensions in the Middle East soar.

“I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians and the West Bank. That is like pouring gasoline on fire,” Biden said during a press conference at the White House.

“They’re attacking Palestinians in places that they’re entitled to be. It has to stop. They have to be held accountable and it has to stop now,” he added.

— Amanda Macias

Editor’s note: The following post contains a photograph with graphic content.

The family of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Al-Dahdouh has been killed in an air strike in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

Al-Dahdouh’s wife, son and daughter were killed in the strike, he told Al Jazeera. Images on Al Jazeera show him entering a hospital in Gaza to view their bodies.

Al-Dahdouh had sent his family to the Nuseirat refugee camp south of Wadi Gaza.

Details of the strikes are still coming in.

— Riya Bhattacharjee

President Joe Biden on Wednesday stressed that there must be a “two-state solution” to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

“There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on Oct. 6. That means Hamas can no longer terrorize Israel and use Palestinians as human shields,” Biden said, speaking outside the White House. “It also means, when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and, in our view, it has to be a two-state solution.”

The president also implored Israel to abide by the rules of war and “do everything in its power … to protect innocent civilians.”

“Hamas does not represent the vast majority of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip or anywhere else,” Biden added. “Hamas is hiding behind Palestinian civilians and it is despicable and, not surprisingly, cowardly.

“This also puts an added burden on Israel while they go after Hamas, but that does not lessen the need to operate and align with the laws of war,” Biden said. “Israel has to do everything in its power, as difficult as it is, to protect the lives of innocent civilians.”

— Emma Kinery

Boeing said the the Israel-Hamas war could impact some of its suppliers.

“The current conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip has the potential to impact certain of our suppliers, and has already impacted some operations for our airline and lessor customers,” Boeing said in a quarterly filing, after reporting a third-quarter loss. “We are closely monitoring developments, supporting our employees and customers, and will take mitigating actions as appropriate.”

The aircraft manufacturer and defense contractor relies on a sprawling global supply chain, which is already under stress coming out of the pandemic. Boeing didn’t immediately provide more details on which of its suppliers could be impacted.

— Leslie Josephs

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that it had “eliminated thousands of terrorists” in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“We’re bringing hellfire on Hamas, we’ve eliminated thousands of terrorists,” he said, addressing the nation this evening.

He said that Israel has two goals in the war, “toppling Hamas and bringing our captives home.”

He said Israel was “working around the clock to actualize the targets of the war” and was focused on “saving the country and bringing victory.”

He also said he would establish national days of mourning.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this post contained a quote that was unclear in translation. CNBC has deleted that quote.

—Daniella Silva, NBC News

Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement on Wednesday, but he declined to provide any details on the timing or other information about the operation.

He said the decision on when forces would go into the blockaded Palestinian enclave would be taken by the government’s special war cabinet.

—Reuters

Israel on Wednesday pushed back against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s assertion that the Palestinian militant group Hamas was not a terrorist organization.

“Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish president’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat wrote in a post on social media.

“Even the Turkish president’s attempt to defend the terrorist organization and his inciting words will not change the horrors that the whole world has seen,” he added.

Erdogan said earlier Wednesday that “Hamas is not a terrorist organization” and stressed that he would not be carrying out a planned visit to Israel amid the country’s ongoing campaign in the Gaza Strip.

— Karen Gilchrist

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-9 to move former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew’s nomination to be the next ambassador to Israel to the full Senate.

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican vote that joined all the 11 Democrats on the committee.

Lew’s nomination now goes to the Senate floor, where a final confirmation vote is expected for next week.

— Amanda Macias

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hit back at claims that he had justified Hamas attacks on Israel, calling them a misrepresentation.

On Tuesday, Guterres told the U.N. Security Council in New York that “clear violations of international law” had been committed in Gaza and said it was important to recognize that Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks “did not happen in a vacuum.”

The comments prompted outrage from Israel, with Israel’s representative to the U.N. subsequently calling for Guterres’ resignation.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Guterres said he was shocked by the backlash he had received.

“I am shocked by the misrepresentations by some of my statement … as if I was justifying acts of terror by Hamas. This is false. It was the opposite,” he said.

“I believe it’s necessary to set the record straight — especially out of respect for the victims and their families.”

— Karen Gilchrist

U.S. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he would support former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to be President Joe Biden’s next ambassador to Israel. Lew was nominated last month by Biden.

“I look forward to supporting Jack’s nomination for Ambassador to Israel, and it’s essential that the Senate act on his nomination quickly so he can go to Israel and get to work immediately,” Manchin wrote in a statement, calling Lew an “honest and straightforward person.”

With Manchin’s support, Lew is expected to win Senate confirmation.

Last week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said the Senate could vote on Lew’s nomination as soon as this week.

— Amanda Macias

Messaging app Telegram has restricted access to channels belonging to Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The platform blocked access to the official channel of Hamas, hamas_com and the Al-Qassem brigades, the military wing of the organization, for Android users, CNBC verified Wednesday.

Social media companies have been under intense pressure to act on the spread of misinformation and pro-Hamas propaganda amid the war in Israel.

Read the full story here.

– Ryan Browne

A plane carrying British humanitarian aid to support Palestinian civilians is currently en route to Egypt, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said on social media.

Aid delivered to Egypt typically travels onward by truck to the besieged Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.

The international community has been sending humanitarian assistance since the first convoys were permitted to enter over the weekend. Relief groups have warned that the aid received so far is insufficient to meet the needs of the Palestinian people, who especially urgently require fuel.

— Ruxandra Iordache

An Israeli missile attack targeted Syria’s Aleppo airport and damaged one of its runways, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Wednesday.

CNBC was not able to verify the report.

The Aleppo airport was already offline since being struck by an Israeli missile on Oct. 22. Both it and Damascus’ international airport have come under Israeli fire since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Israel Defense Forces did not publicly comment on Wednesday’s alleged strike.

Earlier Wednesday, SANA reported eight Syrian soldiers were killed and seven injured in a different Israeli attack, while the IDF said it had targeted Syrian military infrastructure and mortal launchers in response to rocket launches from Syria.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The president of the World Bank on Tuesday said that it will be some time before progress toward a more peaceful Middle East can resume in earnest.

Ajay Banga told CNBC that the onset of the Israel-Hamas war has thrown nascent normalization talks off course, making regional cooperation much more difficult.

“We were working towards a more peaceful Middle East and many countries in this region have begun to speak to each other about the opportunity of moving forward with a new platform of being together,” Banga told CNBC’s Dan Murphy.

“I think it’s clearly going to be a little while until this sort of works out one way or the other,” he added.

— Karen Gilchrist

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari on Wednesday said that an Israeli ground incursion into the Gaza Strip will complicate efforts to bring home hostages held by Hamas, Reuters reports.

“Qatar has focused its mediation efforts on the release of hostages, which is separate from broader discussions on de-escalation,” al-Ansari said.

Israeli military estimates that Hamas took around 222 hostages during its multi-pronged terror attacks of Oct. 7 — of whom only four captives have been released so far.

A spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces earlier this week said that the full return of hostages and the complete surrender of Hamas would be the only way to end the war.

Qatar has attempted to position itself as an intermediary in the conflict, but its emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Tuesday urged not to give Israel “unrestricted authorisation to kill” Palestinian people throughout its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Palestinian group Hamas is not a terrorist organization and stressed that he will not be carrying out a planned visit to Israel, amid the country’s ongoing campaign in the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but a group of liberation and mujahideen who struggle to protect their lands and citizens,” he said during a speech to his Justice and Development Party, according to Google-translated comments carried by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu agency. The mujahideen are combatants who engage on behalf of the Muslim faith or community.

Many countries have denounced the terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7.

Erdogan said that Ankara has “no problem with the state of Israel,” while levying hard criticism against “the way it acts as an organization, rather than a state.” It accused Israel of the “brutal killing of children” and decried he is “deeply saddened by this image of impotence that the U.N. has fallen into” in its mediation of the conflict.

The Turkish president once more urged a cease-fire and proposed to organize a peace conference to seek a diplomatic solution to the war.

Israel has said that it doesn’t target civilians, and its offensives against the besieged Gaza enclosure target stripping away the military capabilities of Hamas.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The head of the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday dubbed the worsening Israel-Hamas conflict as another cloud on the horizon of an already gloomy economic outlook.

“What we see is more jitters in what has already been an anxious world,” Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told a panel hosted by CNBC’s Dan Murphy at the Future Investment Initiative Institute conference in Riyadh.

“And on a horizon that had plenty of clouds, one more — and it can get deeper.”  

Georgieva said that the economic fallout from the war, now in its third week, would be “terrible” for the sides involved, as well as have significant repercussions for the region.

Read the full story here.

— Karen Gilchrist

The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that its shelters in the Gaza Strip are four times over their capacity after an influx of refugees from the Israeli-Hamas war.

In a social media post on Wednesday, the agency said that it is sheltering nearly 600,000 internally displaced people in its 150 facilities.

“Many people are sleeping in the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed,” it said.

UNRWA previously flagged that it will be unable to carry out its operations after Wednesday night if fuel supplies critical to medical facilities, water desalination and transport, are not delivered to the besieged Gaza Strip.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The Israel Defense Forces said on Telegram that they killed Taysir Mubasher, Hamas commander of the North Khan Yunis battalion.

CNBC could not independently verify the report.

Mubasher previously served as commander of the Palestinian militant group’s naval forces and held several roles in weapons manufacturing.

Khan Yunis is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF say that 300 rockets and mortar shells have been launched toward Israeli territory since the start of the conflict.

Israel has launched its retaliatory military campaign against the Gaza Strip, with the aim of stripping away all the military capabilities of Hamas.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s representative to the U.N. has called for the resignation of the organization’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following his remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict and action in Gaza.

Read the full story here.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s military has accused Iran of ordering attacks by militia groups it supports in Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.

In Reuters-reported comments from a briefing, chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Iran is supplying Palestinian militant group Hamas with intelligence and deploying an online messaging campaign to bolster anti-Israel sentiment.

Iran and Israel have long been at odds, with Tehran celebrating but denying involvement in the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7. Tehran backs Hamas, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah — all three of which have exchanged fire with Israel since early October.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Israel’s long-anticipated ground incursion into Gaza could set the tone for a Western response against Hamas-backing Iran and spell consequences for the oil market, said Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

Speaking to CNBC’s Dan Murphy in Saudi Arabia, she said, “It certainly looks like the United States is trying to delay an Israeli ground operation because they want to get out the hostages, they want to get out the hundreds of Americans that are trapped in Gaza, but the question is, is this going to be postponed indefinitely, but I think people are bracing for some type of escalation in Gaza.”

Describing the oil price reaction to the Israel-Hamas war as “sanguine” so far, she nevertheless said that “a lot’s going to hinge on what does a potential ground incursion look like” and that a widening of the conflict into the broader Middle Eastern region could affect the crude supplies of OPEC member Iran. Brent futures with December delivery were trading at $87.78 per barrel at 7:34 a.m. London time, down 29 cents per barrel from the Tuesday settlement.

Tehran has historically financially supported Hamas and has praised the Palestinian militant group’s multi-pronged terror attacks of Oct. 7 against Israel — but has denied involvement.

Croft said the West and U.S. President Joe Biden would, “at a minimum,” consider a retaliatory gesture of curbing Iranian exports, which she estimates have climbed near levels seen before 2018, when Donald Trump’s administration reimposed sanctions against Tehran’s crude.

“The argument is, can you continue to allow Iran to keep the bank open for groups like Hamas? So I think the Biden administration is going to have to tighten those sanctions.”

She expects such measures to come into effect soon, amid rising bipartisan U.S. congressional pressure to cut off the availability of Iranian financing for groups like Hamas.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Eight Syrian soldiers were killed and seven others injured following an Israeli strike in Daraa, in southwest Syria, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said Wednesday, according to a Google translation.

The Israeli offensive targeted a number of Syrian military positions in the Daraa countryside, a military source told SANA.

The Israel Defense Forces said early Wednesday on social media that its fighter jets struck military infrastructure and mortal launchers belonging to the Syrian army, in response to rocket launches from Syria on Tuesday. The IDF did not mention any casualties in its report.

Israel and the Iran-backed Syrian regime of Bashar Assad have been inimical and repeatedly exchanged fire since the start of Israel’s war with Palestinian militant group Hamas. This and Israeli hostilities with neighboring Lebanon have bolstered fears of the Israel-Hamas conflict spilling into the broader Middle East.

— Ruxandra Iordache

The situation in the Middle East is “growing more dire by the hour,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned overnight, urging respect for civilian lives as the Israel-Hamas conflict unfolds.

“The grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the horrific attacks by Hamas. Those horrendous attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he said on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter.

Guterres has repeatedly pleaded for the safety of civilians across both Israel and the Palestinian territories, requesting a humanitarian pause to the hostilities to allow the delivery of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

U.N. relief chief Martin Griffiths reiterated that call, stressing on social media, “The aid delivered to Gaza so far is barely making a dent. We need more, and we need it now. We need it to include fuel.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has previously noted it would be unable to carry out aid operations after Wednesday night, if it does not receive fuel supplies necessary for transport, water desalination and running medical equipment

The Israel Defense Forces insist that fuel is present in Gaza, but monopolized by Hamas:

“These fuel tanks are inside Gaza,” the military said on social media in response to UNRWA, alongside a wide-shot picture of what could be tanks. “They contain more than 500,000 liters of fuel. Ask Hamas if you can have some.”

CNBC could not independently verify what area the IDF picture featured.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Intelligence officials told reporters that U.S. spy agencies believe the blast at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds a week ago was caused by a Palestinian rocket that suffered engine failure and broke apart into two pieces, NBC News reported.

“We assess with high confidence that Israel was not responsible for the explosion at the hospital and that Palestinian militants were responsible,” an intelligence official said. “We assess with low confidence that Palestine Islamic Jihad was responsible for launching the rocket that landed on the hospital.”

Read the full NBC News story here.

— Riya Bhattacharjee

A group of more than two dozen Republican lawmakers urged the mayor of Washington, D.C., to rename “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” claiming that the group for which the plaza is named has voiced support for Hamas following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.

The lawmakers, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Florida’s Marco Rubio, also argued that the street painting reading “Black Lives Matter” should be scrubbed from the plaza due the group’s “celebration of violent antisemitic terrorism.”

The plaza, a two-block-long pedestrian zone just north of the White House, got its name in 2020 amid the rapid rise of Black Lives Matter, the political movement that emerged in response to the killings of Black Americans.

In a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, the group of eight senators and 17 House members cited a handful of posts from BLM chapters and entities that expressed support for Palestine, criticized Israel or “cast doubt” on the Oct. 7 attacks.

“These posts are meant to delegitimize Israel and rationalize brutal attacks on the Jewish people,” the letter read. “It is hard to escape the conclusion that these statements are motivated by an ugly animus against the Jewish people.”

“America must clearly affirm its stance against antisemitism, wherever it appears. We therefore urge you to immediately rename the Black Lives Matter Plaza, to remove the associated street painting in the plaza, and to end the city’s celebration of this terrorist sympathizer group.”

BLM and Bowser’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the letter.

— Kevin Breuninger

Crowds of people gather to assess residential damage in the southern Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike on Tuesday. Israel has been launching hundreds of airstrikes daily while demanding that Hamas release its remaining 222 hostages.

Correction: The Reuters photo above was taken on Tuesday, Oct. 24. The day of the week was misstated in an earlier version.

— Elisabeth Cordova

Columbia University postponed a major annual fundraising event this week as the campus grapples with fallout triggered by the ongoing Israel and Hamas conflict.

“After careful consideration and consultation with University and alumni leadership, we decided that this is not the appropriate time to move forward with Columbia Giving Day. It is postponed for the time being, and a decision on rescheduling will be made in the near future,” said Samantha Slater, a university spokeswoman, in a statement.

Last year, Columbia Giving Day raised almost $30 million in about 24 hours, according to The New York Times.

— Amanda Macias